Every Syracuse University student now has an easy way to build in-demand skills in artificial intelligence thanks to a new AI Bootcamp series offered by the Center for Student Excellence (CSE) in partnership with the student group United AI.
Launching this month, the free, peer-led program turns five Wednesday evenings into a professional credential students can list on their resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
The first offering, the Professional Skills track, begins the week of Sept. 14 and runs Wednesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. in Room 516, 100 Sims Drive. No coding experience is required, and the bootcamp is open to students in every major.
“This isn’t a lecture series,” says Tommy Powell, assistant provost for academic programs, who is leading the initiative. “Students use AI tools, work in teams, debate real scenarios and leave every single night with something they made themselves—not something they watched someone else make.”
5 Nights, 5 Skills, 1 Credential
The Professional Skills Track is comprised of five, 50-minute sessions, each built around a skill widely valued by employers:
- Sept. 16 — The Art of the Prompt: Adaptive communication and critical iteration, including how to recognize and correct common AI missteps like fabricated confidence.
- Sept. 30 — AI for Research and Synthesis: Building a research workflow, verifying sources and catching AI-invented citations.
- Oct. 21 — AI for Data and Decisions: Turning a spreadsheet into a chart and a plain-language insight, with no coding required.
- Nov. 4 — AI for Professional Communication: Using AI as a drafting partner and editor while keeping your own voice for three different audiences.
- Nov. 18 — Capstone: AI Professional Showcase: A portfolio presentation and the badge ceremony.
Each cohort is led by students who were trained this summer as part of CSE’s AI Peer Leadership Academy. Students who complete all five sessions and submit the required take-home artifacts earn the Syracuse University AI Professional Skills Certificate, a digital badge issued through Accredible that links to a verified competency portfolio and displays on LinkedIn.
Additional Tracks Planned
The Professional Skills track is one of three bootcamp tracks planned for this academic year. The Academic Success track, focused on studying smarter and navigating AI integrity, will launch later this fall, while the Emerging and Advanced Topics track, covering how AI works and how to build AI-powered tools, will launch in the spring. Students who complete work across all three tracks plus a capstone reflection can earn the University’s highest co-curricular recognition for AI competency, the Syracuse University AI Fluency Credential.
Students interested in participating in the AI Bootcamp should register online. For more information, contact Powell at 315.443-1428 or topowell@syr.edu.
